1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to article carrier assemblies, and, more particularly, to an article carrier assembly for attachment to a vehicle roof panel with improved styling and functionality.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical vehicle article carrier assemblies include a pair of siderails mounted to a vehicle roof panel with at least one crossrail extending therebetween. Retainers on opposing ends of the crossrail attach the crossrail to the siderails. The retainers are usually secured to the siderails by latches or other such mechanisms. The retainers, crossrails and latches, however, create design problems in that such components may be bulky, and it is difficult to combine trim styling with sufficient strength for supporting an article on the carrier assembly. This leads to disadvantages.
One disadvantage of conventional designs is that the crossrails create wind noise when the vehicle is driven. Wind noise is inevitable when the article carrier assembly is being used, due to the article itself. Nonetheless, this wind noise is undesirable, especially when the article carrier assembly is not being used. In addition, the crossrails increase vehicle drag. Finally, it is difficult to provide crossrails in the form of a trim rail for styling purposes without sacrificing structural integrity. Accordingly, the styling suffers.
One approach taken in the art to address some of the shortcomings described above involves providing removable crossrails. In this approach, the crossrails are removable, and may be stored, for example, in the vehicle owner's garage or the like when not in use. However, a significant shortcoming of this approach is that the crossrails are not always with the vehicle. Therefore, on those occasions where use of the article carrier assembly arises unexpectedly, the article carrier assembly cannot be used because the removable crossrails are not stored with the vehicle.
There is therefore a need to provide an improved article carrier assembly that reduces or eliminates one or more of the shortcomings set forth above.